When I first found out our little town was going to host one of the biggest bands in the world I was amazed.. The day I bought the tickets, back in the early part of the year, I was hoping the weather would be kind for our first show at this venue.
It was a beautiful cirrus cloud day with sunshine warming up the venue and those Pacific breezes cooling us off out on the grass! What a day to sit back and listen to some great music and watch the cirrus slowly drift by.
As the sun began to set I heard the familiar riffs that open Magnificent, from U2’s No Line, coming from the speakers and the crowd jumped to their feet as the Firebird Suite began soon after.
After a not to subtle tip of the hat to their idols, it was time for Coldplay!
Wow! Did it kick off with a thunder! Great light and laser show and the music sounded incredible in this indoor/outdoor amphitheater!
The massive backdrop of the cover of Viva La Vida adding to the power and majesty of the performance. Great choice of artwork to symbolize change! They would later use the artwork from Prospekt’s March as well. The huge video screens were used so effectively throughout the concert to bring every member of the audience into the most intricate moments..
Most, if not all, of Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March was played as well as my favorite X & Y! They stuck to the new material, with a few classics added in.
The tour program was interesting and full of info about this huge career changing tour for the band. Full of artwork, lyrics from Viva and Prospekt, and pictures of their tour.
Coldplay moved through the audience to get to several well placed small stages throughout the amphitheater. They genuinely demonstrated their desire to reach the whole audience by moving around and trying to bring their emotional power to all in attendance, while Chris Martin shouted, “Is everybody ok?” The management prof in me was thinking this must have been a logistical nightmare to plan. But it came off so well. There was always one band member up on the main stage keeping the music going while the others moved throughout the audience. Incredible attention to detail for the fans in attendance.
This small stage segment was particularly effective at racing the adrenaline the fans felt as they watched the band rush through the audience to get to the next stage.
The Michael Jackson tribute of Billie Jean was wonderful, starting with the cell phone wave of the thousands gathered.
Fantastic party for all who attended, complete with balloons and confetti.
I was really impressed with the management at this amphitheater. Every need was taken care of and the logistical planning was supreme. Not every concert goer’s first impression, until you have to get in or get out of the show. They planned the movement of people so well. I have been at other amphitheaters where you wait hours to get in and out. We were in and out in less than 20 minutes, despite the tens of thousands of attendees. The place was packed. I will be back for more shows here in the future…
Reviewed by Prof on July 14th, 2009
